Troubles of Industrial Judge.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 12, 9 October 1907, Page 5

Troubles of Industrial Judge.

; RESIGNS AS A PROTEST. / ■..' By Telegraph— Association.—Copyright "':" ;\ . Melbourne, October 8. Mr.' Justice Hood has resigned his position as President of tho Industrial ;' Court of Appoal; 'Ho states that ho . > found that misstatements, slanders, and accusations had been, circulated broadcast;'' The Court,, unfortunately) had no power to deal with such ni&tters; had it possessed' that power, ,he would not havb; approached the Cabinet, but . would) have used it to vindicate the . standing of the Court. ■ ' : /'„. In a letter to Cabinoty the Judge ret plies to the attack on the Court in' connection with 'an appeal-in the ; bakers' award.' Ho says:—"The evi-. denco was so preposterously, weak that I bolieve that any six employees them-, selves, sitting as a jury, under a sense., of the responsibility arising from [ an. path, would have found the same.verdict.l It is plain that if these charges, are allowed to go .unanswered, the authqrity'of the Court is gone. In event, 'task or the. Judgb who 's , unfortunate enough .to be obliged,' to: '; preside in the Court will be unpleasant/' , "Parliament has not yet enacted that decisions should be won by'clamour'and invective, or that claims should be admitted simply because .;they. are '.' imperiously demanded. As, for the-' slanders, I might have passed them unnoticed, as far as lam personally con-: -' cerned. No reasonable, man with any • knowledge of the facts will credit them, but .all persons—reasonable or other T wise—are largely, influenced by statements constantly repeated and never contradicted, and, therefore,: it seems .desirable that the truth should be set .forth ■ in. an, unmistakable manner,''so that i, no fair or honourable man ■ can possibly believe the charges and, no dishonest persons can have any excuse, for repeating them." ~' ' •''..,,

, Decisions of wages boards are subject tp right of, appeal to the Industrial Courtx of Appeal of Victoria, consisting hitherto of Mr; Justice, Hood. Joseph ..Henry; Hood,; M.A., LL.B., was .called to the-Bar in 1868 and was appointed a Supreme Court Judge ,in 1890. ■